Circe's Torment Poem by Louise Gluck

Circe's Torment

Rating: 3.3


I regret bitterly
The years of loving you in both
Your presence and absence, regret
The law, the vocation
That forbid me to keep you, the sea
A sheet of glass, the sun-bleached
Beauty of the Greek ships: how
Could I have power if
I had no wish
To transform you: as
You loved my body,
As you found there
Passion we held above
All other gifts, in that single moment
Over honor and hope, over
Loyalty, in the name of that bond
I refuse you
Such feeling for your wife
As will let you
Rest with her, I refuse you
Sleep again
If I cannot have you.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
P A Noushad 09 October 2020

The beauty and greatness of love I feel here.

0 0 Reply
Colleen Courtney 14 May 2014

Why do we always want others to hurt as much as they've hurt us? Better to learn to let go with love.

2 0 Reply
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Louise Gluck

Louise Gluck

New York / United States
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